In his first ever radio address after the controversy broke off, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Mann ki Baat programme sidelined the mention of links between foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje with former IPL boss Lalit Modi.

The PM touched upon diverse themes but omitted any mention of the controversy which has dominated headlines and is seen as the first major case of impropriety in his one-year regime.

Offering a justification for the omission, the PM said that ‘Mann ki Baat’ was meant for issues close to his heart and not strictly business of government.

“Sometimes, some people feel that I should make big government announcements in Mann ki Baat programme. No. For that, I work day and night. With you, I do light-hearted talk and I get pleasure from that,” he said.

However, the opposition lost little time in slamming the Prime Minister, highlighting the fact that Modi never missed an opportunity to tweet messages on various issues, but was reticent on this crucial topic.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Ashish Ketan said, “The whole country has only one Mann ki Baat which is what is the prime minister’s take on ‘Lalitgate’, Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhra Raje. And that Mann Ki Baat remained unaddressed.”

BJP spokesman Sambit Patra countered the opposition charge, saying the PM had spoken on pertinent issues, like protection of the girl child, social security and water conservation. “There are far more issues than satisfying the frustration of Congress,” he said.

It has been alleged that in her official role as foreign minister, Swaraj had approached UK authorities to help Modi with a travel document at a time when the former cricket administrator was wanted by India law enforcement agencies.

On the other hand, Raje has been accused of helping Modi’s bid to gain residency permit in the UK on the ground that he was being persecuted by Indian agencies.

The Donald Trump Jr. landed in India yesterday and is slated to sell his luxury apartments and lavish attention on wealthy Indians. Wikimedia Commons

Recently, advertisements can be seen repeatedly in the past few days, announcing the arrival not of the Donald Trump but of his eldest son. The Donald Trump Jr. landed in India yesterday and is slated to sell his luxury apartments and lavish attention on wealthy Indians. The advertisement further charms the people with “a conversation and dinner” with Trump Jr., if buyers who order apartments in the development by Thursday.

After Trump Jr. landed in India, he was seen posing for photos in New Delhi with Indian developers. One of the builders included Kalpesh Mehta. His firm is supposed to be the main Indian partner for Trump-brand real estate projects.

Although, during his election campaigns, President Donald Trump has pledged to avoid any new foreign business deals during his term in office. One of the better reasons for this was seen as to avoid potential ethical conflicts. But the visit by his Donald Trump’s son has directed the promises made by his father in some other direction. Moreover, Trump Jr. is flying around the world trying to trade on the fact that his father is sitting in the Oval Office. The global experts have long seen the use of the Trump name to promote even existing business ventures as a tricky territory.

Trump family has real estate projects coming up in Mumbai, the New Delhi suburb of Gurgaon and the eastern city of Kolkata. Wikimedia Commons

The shocker over here is the scheduled speech of Trump Jr. about Indo-Pacific relations at a New Delhi business summit and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to share the stage with him. This has raised another set of ethics concerns by offering his thoughts on international relations, that too when Trump Jr. is not holding any portfolio in the US government. By sharing the stage with government officials and talking about international relations, he is surely portraying himself as an informal ambassador for the US.

Last November, Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump visited India with an altogether different agenda than that of Trump Jr. She led the U.S. contingent at a global business conference and even her speech was broadcasted live by various television stations.

Interestingly, it is not the first instance when President Trump’s sons have raised ethical concerns over their promotional visits. Last year only, Donald Trump’s sons inaugurated a Trump-branded golf club in Dubai. The two brothers are now official in-charge to lead the Trump Organization.

Trump Jr. has planned his sprawling building in the satellite city of India, Gurgaon. The people who are ready to invest huge sum into this can expect to move into their swanky homes sometime in 2023. To run his business in India, Trump Jr. has licensing agreements with all its Indian business partners. India holds out to be the brand’s largest market outside the United States. In Pune, a luxury complex is already operational. The expected price of apartments in the Trump Towers complex in Gurgaon runs between $775,000 and $1.5 million.

President Donald Trump has pledged to avoid any new foreign business deals during his term in office. Wikimedia Commons

Trump family has real estate projects coming up in Mumbai, the New Delhi suburb of Gurgaon and the eastern city of Kolkata.